Small terrorist cells with dangerous weapons will finally be taken seriously for the grave threat they pose.

The way to handle these problem is fairly straightforward but will require a big change in attitude to adjust to. We're not going to be able to live the same way anymore. For example, kids aren't going to graduate college with the expectation of a job. It's just not happening. So here's what we as a society have to do in order to adapt. These are very broad general approaches, I'll leave it to others to figure out the details.

Get ahead of the curve and stop reacting defensively. The risk of not acting is bigger than the risk of the status quo.

Stop quibbling over details and unite around a broadly shared vision of progress. Nobody wins with all the divisiveness.

Use commercial, off-the-shelf technology to the maximum extent possible. There is no excuse to be dragging our feet on this.

Incorporate strong security practices into everything we do. There are a lot of people who want to foment and take advantage of chaos, to steal our freedom and our lives along with it.

Government workers secretly fear that their jobs will become irrelevant in the new economy. That may be true in some cases. But it's probably more true that our role will evolve:

To rebalance major power inequities and promote national competitiveness through a whole-of-society approach to the major issues that confront us.

To protect people's rights and make sure that vulnerable populations are supported.

To maintain social order and prevent chaos from breaking out.

As we go about our day-to-day lives it's really easy to stick our heads in the sand and let others worry about the problems. But at some point you look around and realize it's you that's got the football. And that your standing there at a press conference, with no excuse as to why you've let it deflate.